Phillies option Adam Morgan to triple A

Adam Morgan was so emotional two weeks ago that he almost cried after learning he made the Phillies. The lefthander worked throughout spring training to remold himself as a reliever and secure one of the final sports on the Opening Day roster.

That joy ceased Tuesday when the Phillies optioned Morgan to triple A after he allowed four homers in a 14-4 loss to the Mets. The Phillies will announce a corresponding move on Wednesday.

"It's a tough pill to swallow," Morgan said. "Right now I think the best thing to do is be around family. Just take it as it comes. Really, I think the biggest thing right now is happiness. You never know what's going to happen in this game, so you've got to be content wherever you are. Can't let it get you down."

Morgan was pushed into action on Tuesday after Clay Buchholz left the game in the third inning with a strained flexor tendon in his right forearm. Morgan allowed four earned runs on seven hits in 32/3 innings. He struck out five batters and walked two.

He is just the seventh Phillies reliever since 1913 to allow four homers in a game, according to Baseball Reference.The 27-year-old allowed seven runs this season and six homers in six innings over two outings. He had a 6.04 ERA last season, mostly working as a starter.

"Today was just unacceptable. I made a lot of mistakes over the plate, which I shouldn't have," Morgan said. "But the role is the role. You've got to be ready for the role. It's my first time being in that. There are some learning curves I need to work out, when to throw off the mound, when not to throw off the mound, how much to throw. So that's about it. I think it's just learning to fit into that role."